A Castlegar-based non-profit has come to the rescue of a proposed extended-hour childcare facility in Tadanac.
Kootenay Family Place was announced this week as the agency that will operate the Unicorn Childcare Centre, expected to be completed in the spring of 2027.
The project was originally announced in 2021 and supposed to open the following year, but it was delayed in part because no non-profit could be found to run it. Having such an operator in place was a requirement to receive provincial funding.
Kootenay Family Place executive director Gert Harrison explained in an interview that his organization didn’t become involved initially because it was too busy completing the Castlegar and District Kids’ Club, a childcare centre next to the recreation complex. Although the City of Trail approached them about running Unicorn, they declined.
Harrison said there was an assumption a non-profit childcare provider in the Trail area would be found to operate the facility, but a proposed extended hours model made that challenging. Although uncommon, the model is one Teck and the city had identified a need for, he said. Last December, with the Unicorn project still in limbo, Sue Bock, who conducted the original feasibility study, asked Kootenay Family Place if they would reconsider.
“We took the proposal to our board and spoke with some of the staff from ChildCare BC,” Harrison explained. “The message that we heard was that this project either needed to go forward or they were going to lose the funding for the new space.
“As we got the Kids’ Club centre off the ground and running, we now had the capacity to take on another project.”
Kootenay Family Place met with the city several times as the proposal was scaled back from 65 spaces to 44 due to rising construction costs. Those spaces include a dozen for infants and toddlers and 32 for ages three to five, split between two rooms.
It’s expected there will be 10 staff to start and hours of 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m, which will be gradually increased, as they get a better sense of demand, Harrison said. Originally the proposal called for the facility to be open from 4:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week.
Harrison added they have been working with an architect and discussing final plans, with construction expected to start in the spring.
“This is a real opportunity to expand childcare in the Trail area,” he said. “We know there is limited childcare in Trail. We hear that regularly from families that we work with. So we’re really excited to partner with the City of Trail and the Province of BC and we’re very thankful for Teck for donating the land.”
In addition to the Kids’ Club, Kootenay Family Place operates the Hobbit Hill and Selkirk College children’s centres and offers youth, family, and community programming. The organization was founded in 1972.
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